6.30.2015

Disclaimer: This trip was sponsored by Mediterranean
Delights Fitness Voyage for review purposes. The opinions are completely
my own based on my experience. I was not financially compensated for this
post.

It has been a busy few weeks since we returned home from our
adventures in Turkey and Greece, and I have much to write about from our
experiences.We had an amazing time the
entire trip, so I will be covering it in several different posts.Though first and foremost, I will share my
review and accounts of our experience on Mediterranean Delights Fitness Voyage
(MDFV), which is the part of our trip that inspired us to visit this part of
the world in the first place.

I write this on a plane to Boston for a business trip, and
though I am gazing out my window at a beautiful sunset, I am daydreaming about
being back on the Muhtesam A gulet
boat staring at a crystal-clear, turquoise sea.There was something truly magical about our experience on MDFV that left
its mark on me.All travel leaves its
mark on me, and we have been fortunate to have had some amazing travel
experiences.But this was
different.This trip has stuck with me,
and may in fact have been the best trip I have ever taken.

You couldn't expect me to take this trip and not have at least one "I'm flying, Jack" moment!

Let me rewind a bit.The hubs and I were brainstorming about where to go on our next big
international trip.As you know, while
we travel a lot domestically, we make sure to take one big, international trip
each year.Before we had decided where
to go, I got an amazing offer to experience MDFV.MDFV is a new week-long, all-inclusive
vacation offering geared specifically for travelers like me: the traveler who
likes to experience good food, history and culture, and remain active, all
while in an intimate setting.This is
not a hardcore boot camp retreat, but rather an opportunity to do things at
your own pace and maintain a fitness routine.This is not a giant cruise liner, but more like a small boutique hotel
on water.

As we had always heard good things about Turkey, we were
definitely intrigued.When we heard that
MDFV was offering Combo Voyages this year that included some Greek islands, we
simply could not resist.A chance to
experience two new countries with this cool travel concept was right up our
alley.

A personalized trip itinerary and information book arrived shortly before our trip.

There was so much to this trip that made it special, so I
will break it down into sections for the purposes of this review.For more information about MDFV, the
different voyage offerings, and schedules, visit their website here.

The Boat

Our home for the week was the Muhtesam A, a traditional
Turkish wooden yacht boat (called a gulet).With only eight staterooms, it is impossible for the experience to be
anything more than intimate.The rooms
were large (unlike the shoebox-sized rooms you have on a traditional cruise
ship), and each included a few porthole windows, a closet, and a bathroom with
a full shower.

The view from one of our porthole windows one morning.

The crew put a lot of care into the gulet, and kept it
spotless.When they weren’t cooking,
they were cleaning.In addition to the
comforts of the room, the gulet had a sundeck on top, a shaded lounge in the
back (both areas so comfortable that we were able to sleep outside a few nights
– talk about romantic in the calm seas off the coast of Turkey), an al fresco
dining area, and another area for sunning or fitness in the front.The boat also included a platform for diving
or slipping into the ocean off the side.

The experience felt truly luxurious.The cleanliness, amenities, and service on
the gulet left nothing to be desired.

The Food

It is hard to beat a dinner this fresh and flavorful.

The whole experience was so incredible, that it is hard to
say that there was a “best” part.If I
did venture to try, the food would be at towards the top of the list. Every single meal on the boat - and this is
not an exaggeration - seemed better than the meal before.The captain is also the chef, and created
meal after meal of local Turkish and Mediterranean dishes, all with fresh
ingredients.As you will see in the next
section, we were incredibly active on the trip, so we needed plentiful, fresh
foods to keep us fueled.The captain did
us right!

Homemade dolma was our lunch entrée on the gulet one day.

Our first night we were treated to a meal that included
fresh caught fish grilled up right on board.There was a guest with a fish allergy, and they were also accommodated
without problem.

Other standout meals included the breakfasts with fresh
cheeses and honey, a lunch of handmade dolma, and my husband’s favorite, kofte,
a Turkish meatball for dinner.Desserts
included fresh fruits and other decadent but guilt-free offerings.We also enjoyed the daily tea time with
biscuits at 4:00 pm, which the high percentage of British guests deemed
“proper.”

The Fitness

Picture yourself greeting the morning with sun salutations in this setting!

The fitness is one of the things that makes MDFV stand out
from other all-inclusive trips, including other Blue and Combo Voyages along
the Turkish coast.It is important to
note that all of the fitness offerings (as well as the other land and onboard
activities) are optional.MDFV really
seeks to meet guests “where they are at” to make everyone’s trip special.Case-in-point, I received no pressure when I
had to skip a morning yoga session after a particularly late night out in Symi
Harbor the night before.

Admiring the stunning view below the ruins of a Roman castle we hiked to in Bozukkale.

A couple who hikes to Roman ruins on vacation together stays together. Isn't that how the saying goes?

Each day began with some energizing, but easy-paced yoga
(imagine doing sun salutations on the boat deck while actually greeting the
morning sun).Throughout each day there
were also at least two different opportunities to swim or kayak for some added
activity.There were also several days with
hikes offered on shore, and when offered, there were usually two options for
those that wanted either a shorter/lighter hike or a longer/more intense
experience.These weren’t just purely
fitness hikes either – the hikes were to ancient ruins of a Roman castle, a
monastery, or just simply to see a panoramic view of a pristine cove.

The ladies had a lot of fun with our belly dancing fitness lesson... I am sure the champagne had nothing to do with it...

There was also an evening fitness offering each day.These varied from yoga, circuit training, and
even belly dancing!All in all, it
seemed that we averaged about four different opportunities for physical
activity each day (again, all optional).We personally took advantage of nearly all of them, because it felt so
great to maintain our fitness routine while also doing fun things like
exploring ancient castles or swimming.

The Activities – On
Boat

Lion's milk! It is traditional to drink raki with water, which turns it into a cloudy color (hence the nickname "lion's milk").

The snorkeling was amazing! The tour director, Ali was quick to scout the snorkeling opportunities at each stop to let us know if we needed to jump in or not.

Our guide and organizers had plenty of other activities
available to us whether we were at sea or anchored in a cove.In the water: In addition to swimming and
kayaking as mentioned above, we could snorkel, water ski, ride on tubes from
the speedboat, or dive.The water was so
calm and mild (in addition to being crystal clear), so we spent a lot of time
in it.The snorkeling was also
especially amazing.

The hubs had fun fishing right off the boat. Not much effort was needed since the water was so clear, you could see the fish swim up to your hook.

The water was so calm and mild, even on this misty morning off the coast of Turkey.

Even with all of the physical activity options, there was more than enough time for lounging in the sun!

On the boat: Sunning yourself and/or lounging was an option
any time of day, but we also learned how to play backgammon (which my husband
and his new British friend, Twenty First Century Gent played quite a bit), played
bingo, danced, and generally relaxed.There were books and movies to borrow too.Raki and Ouzo tasting was also a fun
experience on the gulet one evening.

The Activities – Off
Boat

Panormitis Monastery in Symi, Greece

Symi, Greece

In the ports, our guide had planned a wide range of options
for us. We appreciated the chance to
learn about local history and culture with visits to ruins, monasteries,
museums, and even walking tours.There
were also two fun nights out in city harbors (Symi and Rodos in Greece) where
our group got to visit the local bars and have a good time.We even had a meal and hamam experience off
the boat on one of our last days.

My favorite experience of the trip was getting to eat a home-cooked meal prepared by this woman in Bozburun.

Dolma made in pumpkin flowers instead of the traditional grape leaves.

With all the awesomeness of the trip in general, I would
have to say that my favorite experience during MDFV was in Bozburun, Turkey when
we had a lunch prepared for us in the home of a Turkish woman.She demonstrated how she made the special
dolma wrapped in pumpkin flowers (instead of the traditional grape leaves),
then served us a feast of delicious, homemade food, along with Turkish coffee
during dessert.The food was so
delicious, and she so proudly served it to us on her Mediterranean tree-lined
porch, that the experience was one I will never forget.I am truly grateful for that moment in time.

The People

We miss our tour director, Ali!

I couldn’t properly review MDFV without mentioning the
people.Cindy, the founder and
organizer, clearly created the trip concept and overall plan as a labor of
love.She is a fellow traveler who
decided to create something that would be the dream trip for other travelers
like herself (and like us).Ali, our
tour director was a key ingredient to this trip being as awesome as it
was.He was knowledgeable about our
destinations, was always looking for great opportunities for us (great
snorkeling spots, even finding an island cave for us to swim into), and as a
person was a lot of fun to be around!The crew also added to the experience by treating guests with impeccable
customer service.

The other guests add to the experience as well.The size of the gulet makes every voyage
intimate.There are just enough other
guest to have a good time with but not feel crowded.We also genuinely enjoyed our time with
everyone on our voyage.I asked Cindy if
it was just our voyage, or if guests seem to gel as well on all voyages.She replied that all MDFV voyages tend to
have great guest synergy, and that it seems to happen organically. She felt
that guests who self-select this type of a trip, as different as they may be in
day-to-day life, all have something in common at the core.I have to agree.

The Destinations

Symi Harbor just before sunset

﻿﻿

The stunning Kayadibi Beach on Symi island

From the highest point of our hike in Bozukkale

The choices of ports and nightly destination were
well-thought-out.I enjoyed the mix of
being in our own cove one night and a quaint local port city (like Symi Harbor)
the next.I loved getting to spend some
days in secluded paradise (like Kayadibi Beach), and others exploring Roman
ruins (in Bozukkale) or having lunch with a Turkish family (in Bozburun).Seeing museums in Panormitis Monastery and
Rodos were wonderful.Rodos was a great
spot to end the voyage with a more urban experience to bring us back to the
real world after spending a week in luxurious paradise.

Rodos

In sum, Mediterranean Delights Fitness Voyage was a
fantastic experience.The memories from
this voyage will last a lifetime.I
would wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who likes a trip that blends
relaxation with an active lifestyle, good food, cultural experiences, and great
customer service.This trip had it all,
and I doubt this was the last time I will be on MDFV.Click here to learn more about the 2015 and
2016 voyage options, and let me know if you have any questions!